USS ''Galveston'', last ship to depart the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego was a part of the

United States Navy reserve fleets The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the maintenance activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and ...

, also called a ''mothball fleet'', was used to store the many surplus ships after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego was near the Naval Base San Diego in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Some ships in the fleet were reactivated for the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

. The reserve fleet stored post

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

ships, some that were reactivated for World War II. The USS Galveston (CL-93), a

Cleveland-class cruiser The ''Cleveland'' class was a group of light cruisers built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. They were the most numerous class of light cruisers ever built. Fifty-two were ordered, and 36 completed, 27 as cruisers and 9 as light aircraft ...

was the last ship to depart the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego. At the closing, only the ''Galveston'' and 11 other ships were remaining at the fleet. At its peak, 223 ships were stored in the fleet. The 12 rusty ships in fleet were sold off for scrapping and a few used for

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

target ships. The Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego closed in June 1975.US Navy, Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego
/ref>

Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego ship examples

In the 1950 and 1960 many ships were stored in the fleet: *Seven

Commencement Bay-class escort carrier The ''Commencement Bay''-class escort aircraft carriers were the last class of escort carriers built for the US Navy in World War II. The ships were based on the Maritime Commission type T3 Tanker hull, which gave them a displacement of appr ...

s *Four

Casablanca-class escort carrier The ''Casablanca''-class escort carrier were a series of escort carriers constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. They are the most numerous class of aircraft carriers ever built. Fifty were laid down, launched and commissione ...

s *Many

Minesweepers A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

, like the: ** USS Chief (AM-315) ** USS Zeal (MSF-131) ** USS Competent (AM-316) ** USS Symbol (MSF-123) *

USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) USS ''San Jacinto'' (CVL-30) of the United States Navy was an light aircraft carrier that served during World War II. She was named for the Battle of San Jacinto during the Texas Revolution. Former U.S. President George H. W. Bush served abo ...

USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) USS ''Philippine Sea'' (CV/CVA/CVS-47, AVT-11) was one of 24 s of the United States Navy, and the first ship to be named for the Battle of the Philippine Sea. She was launched on 5 September 1945, after the end of World War II, and sponsored b ...

* USS Aristaeus * USS Midas (ARB-5) *

USS Oceanus (ARB-2) USS ''Oceanus'' (ARB-2) was planned as a United States Navy , but was redesignated as one of twelve ''Aristaeus''-class battle damage repair ships built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Oceanus (believed to be the worl ...

* USS Zeus (ARB-4) * USS Telamon (ARB-8) * USS Sarpedon (ARB-7) * USS Phaon (ARB-3)

References

{{Authority control 1946 establishments in California Military in San Diego Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego

Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego ship examples

See also

References